Though these stories take place in different times and places, with different characters’ points of view, the character of Violet Quesnel is the unifying thread. Violet’s life is complicated by her bi-polar disorder: she is aware of her outside world but has limited self-awareness. From her family and friends a portrait of Violet emerges of a young woman who has faced down the denial, anger, and depression of her bi-polarity and, despite her struggles, she has bargained for her place in the world as a sister, daughter and mother.